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tv   BBC News  BBC News  August 24, 2018 7:00pm-8:01pm BST

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this is bbc news. i'm rachel schofield. the headlines at seven: scotland's former first minister, alex salmond, hits back at the scottish government after being investigated over claims of sexual harassment. mr salmond said the process of investigation was unfair and unjust. he was no saint, he said, but had done nothing wrong i have made many mistakes in my life, political and personal. but i have not sexually harassed anyone and i certainly have not been engaged in criminality. but scotland's first minister said the claims of sexual harrassment could not be ignored. it is a difficult situation but what is important is that complaints are treated seriously, regardless of who the person complained about is. the daughter of a couple who died at a hotel in egypt says they were "fit and healthy" when they went on holiday. ireland prepares to welcome pope francis this weekend — we'll be asking if the pontiff can
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heal the damage caused by decades of clerical sexual abuse. we do not hide, we do not try to hide the things that have gone wrong in the past and that particularly is a crucial lesson for us all at this time. residents in hawaii are being moved away from their homes as a hurricane nears the aloha state. hurricane lane's already causing flash floods, power cuts and torrential rains. australia gets a new prime minister as scott morrison replaces malcolm turnbull and promises an end to political turmoil. good evening. the former first minister of scotland alex salmond strongly denies two claims of sexual
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harassment dating back to 2013. the claims, which were made in an internal scottish government investigation, have been passed to the police. mr salmond has launched legal action against the scottish government for the way it's handled the case. his successor as leader of the snp and first minister, nicola sturgeon, said the complaints were made in january and were investigated through a process she had agreed to. here's our scotland correspondent lorna gordon. i think we won the election. he is one of the best—known figures in scottish politics. you have your scotland shirt on. alex salmond, a former first minister, a man who led his party, the snp twice and became the face of the nationalist movement, securing an historic referendum on independence for scotland. but who is now facing allegations of sexual misconduct in the run—up to that vote. the complaints date back to 2013 when alex salmond lived
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and worked here at bute house, the official residence of a serving first minister. the allegations from two individuals have been denied by alex salmond who described the claims as ridiculous. i have made many mistakes in my life, personal and political but i have not sexually harassed anyone and i certainly haven't been engaged in criminality. i am no saint, i have flaws, i understand that and i am looking forward to the opportunity to establish that point. mr salmond said he's not being allowed to see and therefore properly challenge the evidence against him, so now, in an extraordinary move, the former first minister is taking the government he used to lead to court. nicola sturgeon, his anointed successor and for many years, his closest political ally, said complaints couldn't be ignored or swept under the carpet. everybody knows the length
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and the closeness of my relationship to alex salmond and i think people will understand how difficult this is for me and my party. it will be extremely upsetting to members of the snp up and down the country. it is a difficult situation but what is important is that complaints are treated seriously regardless of who the person complained about is. the investigation into these allegations was conducted by the permanent secretary, leslie evans. in a statement she said alex salmond's comments contain significant inaccuracies, which she says will be addressed in the court proceedings he intends to bring. she said the scottish government will defend its position vigorously. welcome to the very first episode of the alex salmond show. he switched from front line politics to his own show on russia today.
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while being used to being in the spotlight, he has come out fighting and is ready to take centre stage in the highest court in scotland. the exact details of the allegations against him and the investigation‘s findings have yet to be made public but the nature of these complaints against such a high—profile figure have rocked scotland's political establishment. lorna bbc news, edinburgh. a short time ago our scotland editor sarah smith explained the wider implications for scottish politics. it is going to be enormously difficult for the first minister and the snp party leader nicola sturgeon. you heard her sounding quite upset about this. this is a man who has been a close colleague and mentor of hers for years and years in scottish politics. she is his party leader. she may have to discipline him. that would be very difficult for the nationalst movement. in the meantime, she is the leader
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of the government which he is challenging his court. the former first minister taking the scottish government to court is remarkable. it is going to be upsetting to a lot of snp and nationalist supporters. he was a revered figure among nationalists. after he led the 20 14th independence campaign. his credibility has been dented since then since he left government but people will be deeply upset to hear these allegations against him. do not forget, nicola sturgeon is about to update us on her plans for a second independence referendum in a couple of months‘ time. it is a difficult time for her to be making very big decisions like that. sarah smith there. the authorities in egypt say a british couple who died on holiday suffered heart and respiratory failure. 69—year—old john cooper, and his wife susan were staying at the steigenberger aqua magic in hurghada on the red sea. their daughter, who was
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on holiday with them, said they were "in perfect health" just hours before they fell ill. the tour operator thomas cook said it was removing all its customers from the hotel as a "precautionary measure". judith moritz reports. john and susan cooper are said to have started their holiday in great spirits and are described as having been in perfect health when they went to bed on monday night. but the next morning, their daughter kelly found them extremely ill. i believe that that is not due to natural causes. something does not add up. my parents went to sleep on the monday evening, fit, healthy and in good spirits and awoke the following morning in very poor health. medical action was taken but u nfortu nately medical action was taken but unfortunately nobody could do anything to save their lives will stop i have made accusations and i need answers. the meant the absolute world to me.
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nobody could have asked for better parents, they were the salt of the earth. the family were staying at the 5—star steigenberger aqua magic hotel in the egyptian red sea resort of hurghada. the tour operator thomas cook said it would be removing all 300 customers from the hotel and although the circumstances of the couple‘s depth was unclear that had been a report of the level of illness amongst guests. the hotel disputes this and some holiday—makers are worried. when anxiety levels are raised, people are talking to each other and the level of answers from thomas cook is disappointing. we flew out on tuesday and that was the day these poor people passed away. i must say i am really sorry about what has happened. we should have been given the option whether to come here or not and we wouldn‘t have. awful. ijust wanted to go home.
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janine travis has just come back from the same hotel and has spent the last three weeks on antibiotics. she and her partner both had terrible stomach cramps. he went downhill more rapidly than i did and he became quite unwell by the evening time. he wasjust in the room being violently sick. stomach cramps, nausea, dizziness, really, really unwell and i, by this time, was in quite a lot of pain. for thomas cook, this is close to home, susan cooper worked at their burnley branch, which was closed today. susan cooper described as a loyal and long serving member of staff. the company says it is helping with the investigations and is deeply saddened by the deaths of susan and john cooper. well, thomas cook says around half of its customers who were staying at the steigenberger aqua magic hotel have choosen to fly home this evening and will receive a full refund of their holiday.
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the remainder have opted to be moved to an alternative hotel, the operator says as a precaution, and will receive 250 euros per person for the inconvenience. the tour operator says it‘s contacting those who are due to stay in the hotel in next four weeks. they have the option to stay in a different hotel in the red sea resort, amend their holiday free of charge and go to a different destination, or a receive a full refund for their holiday. people in hawaii are being moved away from their homes as a hurricane nears the american pacific islands. hurricane lane‘s already causing flash floods, power cuts and torrential rains. the hurricane has now been downgraded to category three strength. but the storm is still carrying winds of over 120 miles per hour.
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many flights to and from the islands have been cancelled. james cook reports from hawaii. this is what hurricane lane has done to hawaii already. and it is still churning towards the islands. so far, it is not the ferocious wind but the torrential rain which is the biggest problem. there are reports of catastrophic flooding, of landslides and of water rescues. tourists among those who have been pulled to safety. attention, attention. the beaches are closed. please leave the area. the big island in hawaii, hawaii county, has received in some cases some reports of two feet of rain already. unfortunately, there is more to come. the impacts are going to grow. the real question is, when does it start to make its turn to the west? if it drifts further north, that means you are going to see storm surge, greater wind impacts as well as increased rainfall. the hurricane will pass dangerously close to the hawaiian island chain through the day today, into tonight and saturday. hurricane lane may weaken as it
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approaches, but it is expected to maintain hurricane strength as it approaches the islands. dangerous flooding will continue on the big island. the threat for tropical storm force or even hurricane force winds will continue for the next 24 to 36 hours. hundreds of islanders have been forced to flee their homes. has this ever done this before? no, it's the first time. i've been here for 11 years and it's the first time. across the state, dozens of evacuation centres have been set up. major hurricanes are rare on hawaii and as the storm approached, many people heeded the dire warnings, stocking up on food and water as a state of emergency was declared. we have the federal state, all the of the counties here to make sure we are protecting the health, safety and welfare of all of our people, including by they way some close to 300,00 tourists who are in the state right now.
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these pictures from the international space station show the hurricane as it approached the islands earlier this week. the beaches are now closed but nothing was going to stop these surfers from catching a wave on the edge of the hurricane. and we‘ll be hearing from a resident of the island of maui in the next half hour about conditions there and the preparations being made. the headlines on bbc news... scotland‘s former first minister, alex salmond, hits back at the scottish government — after being investigated over claims of sexual harassment. the daughter of a couple who died at a hotel in egypt says they were "fit and healthy" when they went on holiday. hurricane lane has been downgraded to a category two tropical storm as it heads towards hawaii, but is still causing flash flooding and landslides.
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tens of thousands of people are expected to travel to dublin this weekend to see pope francis — almost a0 years since the last pa pal visit to ireland. in the wake of abuse scandals in the catholic church — what kind of welcome will he receive? 0ur religious affairs editor martin bashir reports. bishops and priests are not usually pounding the turf at leinster rugby ground. but as ireland prepares to welcome pope francis, it is also hosting this global gathering of catholics. an alter has been built along the touchline, but that is as nothing compared to the challenge of reconstructing the church after decades of scandal. a lot of the pain and the hurt that we thought we were moving
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on from has resurfaced, particularly for people who were hurt by clergy in the church. and i think the holy father, it‘s critical that he does something to try and address that. phoenix park, another venue, has been under construction for months. the catholic church and the irish government are spending more than £27 million to host pope francis. the highlight of this weekend‘s visit will be here on sunday when pope francis celebrates mass. 500,000 tickets have been issued. so, will ireland feel like it did the last time the pope was in town? 1979, and popejohn paul ii was greeted by the largest gathering of irish people in history. back then almost 90% of catholics attended weekly mass, contraception,
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abortion and divorce were against the law. now all three are legal and church attendance is down to a0%. marie collins‘ story may help explain why. she was abused by a hospital chaplain as a child. what has happened here basically is the church has fallen over a cliff. its moral authority is completely destroyed. we still have quite a high percentage of catholics in ireland and i think many of them are hanging on by theirfingernails. are you glad that the church is having less of a dominant effect? the short answer is yes. i think in the past the catholic church had too much of a dominant place in irish society. i think it still has a place in irish society, but not one that determines public policy or determines our laws. judging by trade in the exhibition hall, the catholic church
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is pinning its hopes on the popularity of pope francis. this is the best one. he remains the star attraction. but unless it can convince the world that it has changed, then the future of the roman catholic church in ireland will continue to be overshadowed by its past. martin bashir, bbc news, dublin. well, let‘s get more now from our ireland correspondent chris page. getting a flavour there of the mixed reception that the pope might expect. yes, it is going to be one way or another. a significant and symbolic weekend in dublin. notjust for people here but right around the world. ireland has become a touchstone for the global challenges facing the catholic church, both secularisation and how it is dealt with child abuse. ireland was a very
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different country for two years ago, have of the population turned out to see him. things have changed a lot. in fact, the speed of social change in ireland over the last two decades, most other countries would ta ke decades, most other countries would take a century or two for those to happen. the authority has been damaged by priests and members of the legal orders abusing children and the cruel treatment that unmarried mothers suffered in institutions they were put in. one of the people who has been attending the global gathering that has been happening here all week as a leader of the catholic church in england and wales, cardinal vincent nichols. he has said that he expects on this trip to ireland this weekend the leader of the world catholics will say something meaningful to address those historic parts. ——hurts.
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i think we have to look them straight in the eye and i think only slowly are we beginning to understand the real horror of child abuse. not just in the catholic church, but in society as a whole. and the pope this week, earlier this week, published a long letter in which he expressed his shame and horror and expressed his own personal regret and was quite determined that the church will tackle this evil that has found a lodging in our house. so i would expect he would repeat those things when he is here. but he will do it in the context of an unflinching conviction of the presence of god in our lives and the way in which, with the help of the holy spirit we construct family life, society life that is good for all. clearly there is a lot about which we should repent, clearly there is a lot about which we can celebrate and be determined for the future. and we do not hide, we do not try to hide the things that have gone wrong in the past.
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that particularly is a crucial lesson to us all the time. clearly many people will be listening closely to what pope francis has to say on that issue. meanwhile, in the light of what you we re meanwhile, in the light of what you were seeing was the changing role of the church over these decades since the church over these decades since the last visit, we have been hearing from the irish prime minister who has had something to say on the issue. yes, that is right leo varadkar broke the mould as the irish prime minister in that he is openly gay, half indian, the son of an indian immigrant to ireland. he has come to embody this new ireland but we have seen, as the church has lost its authority, and we have seen a dramatic change in the legal landscape to the bans on divorce, contraception have all been lifted. just if you months ago, leo varadkar government held a referendum on
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whether abortion should be legalised in ireland and the people decided by a margin of two to one that it should be legalised. that was the last moral issue where you could see the influence of catholic teaching being dealt with. leo varadkar has also said in a round of interviews he has given today, what the state of his faith was, he was still searching for the truth will stop thatis searching for the truth will stop that is significant in an every other prime minister before him would have said they were a practising catholic. the fact we now have a prime minister in this country who says he is still searching for the truth and he has not sure what his faith is, that tells us how much this country is a radically different one from 1979. tomorrow, leo varadkar will greet pope francis here at dublin castle. 0n pope francis here at dublin castle. on sunday, the highlight for many pilgrims, a mass in the phoenix park in dublin where half a million
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people are expected to attend. thank you. a man who falsely claimed to be a grenfell tower resident to avoid a prison sentence has been jailed for six years. derrick peters stayed at the park grand hotel in paddington, after claiming he lost his friend and his possessions in the blaze, in june last year. he then ran up a £40,000 accommodation bill, as well as £5,000 on food, drink and laundry. hundreds of homes near berlin have been evacuated — as firefighters battle a blaze in a forest that‘s believed to have world war two ammunition buried underneath it. the fire, near potsdam, has spread rapidly and covers an area larger than 500 football pitches. authorities are concerned that the ammunition, thought to date from the soviet army‘s activities in former east germany, could detonate. residents in nearby berlin have been warned to close their windows to protect themselves from smoke. every alcoholic drink does you harm. that‘s the stark message from one
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of the most significant studies into alcohol use and its health effects to date. researchers looked at the drinking habits of people in 195 countries, including the uk. the findings suggest that even moderate consumption is asscociated with cancer and other diseases. dominic hughes reports now from a pub in st albans. just how much alcohol is it safe to drink? it‘s confusing when different studies produce apparently contradictory results. now the latest research says while alcohol might protect us from heart disease, overall there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. alcohol is linked to seven types of cancer. we know about liver disease which has risen over decades in the uk. so those risks actually outweigh any benefits. so what the study is saying is for health overall the best thing we can do is not to drink at all, which is clearly not going to happen for most people. but if we want to give
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advice, that is probably what we should be giving. nhs guidelines say we should restrict our drinking to just 1a units of alcohol each week. that‘s around six pints of beer or seven glasses of wine. but today‘s report suggests many people are drinking more than that and posing a risk to their health. the study looked at global drinking habits. around the world one in three people drink alcohol. the study showed that british women drink in average three drinks a day and ranked eighth in the world of highest drinkers. british men drink a similar amount but ranked 62nd because drinking levels internationally are generally far higher among men. and in this st albans pub customers were not especially alarmed by these new findings. i think everything comes with a risk, doesn‘t it? you have just got to make the decision. be aware of what you are drinking and go from there. there's conflicting advice all the time, isn't there, about how many units you can drink or are supposed to drink. i think it must depend on the individual surely. drinking alcohol is pleasurable
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so it is a case of don't overdo it. it is the degree of risk that we may suffer ill—health linked to drinking that we all have to weigh up. the study shows that the risk of drinking within current guidelines is very low indeed, so it‘s no argument for abstention just because there is no safe level. after all, there is no safe level of driving, there is no safe level for going on holiday. there is no safe level for getting up in the morning but it doesn‘t mean we should abstain from these activities. and in the end this is what the debate around alcohol consumption comes down to, the level of risk we are each willing to live with. it‘s being billed as one of the biggest events in the history of the internet — despite the fact the names ksi and logan paul probably mean little to many people. the two youtube stars are set to earn millions of pounds in a boxing match tomorrow night at the manchester arena that‘s being broadcast live on the internet. 0ur entertainment correspondent
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colin paterson reports. the biggest international event in history! two of the biggest youtube stars taking their online rivalry into the boxing ring. i can‘t wait to punch you right in your stupid, smug face. britain‘s ksi and his american opponent, logan paul, each have almost 20 million subscribers, predominately teenage boys attracted by their mix of comedy, bad language and hostility towards other youtube stars. tomorrow night both are set to make seven figure sums in a pay—per—view, white collar boxing match broadcast live not on satellite tv, but on youtube. a lot of people watching this fight are very young. how good a role model are you? i never like people calling me a role model. i‘m not a role model, i‘m just a guy that does things on the internet and if people are inspired by that, then that is cool. but logan paul is the baddie
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of the piece after causing global outrage earlier this year filming the body of an apparent suicide victim in a japanese forest. i made a severe and continuous lapse of myjudgment and i don‘t expect to be forgiven. i‘m simply here to apologise. when i spoke to him today he made it clear that he is still trying to make amends. i don‘t think this is "the redemption". i think it may mark a part of it, but by no means is this fight redemption for my mistake that happened in january. this fight also shows the way that the entertainment industry is changing. for the last decade youtube stars have worked out how to monetise their huge online following. this is taking it to a different level. this is an audience who are used to not paying. it's a pay— per—view event tomorrow, so in live numbers we are expecting it to be huge. but over the period of time of the content it will run to hundreds of millions of impressions. and while boxing is one of the oldest sports there is,
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the fight is the start of something new. and whoever loses, everyone is set to be a winner. a rematch in the usa is already booked in for early next year. colin paterson, bbc news, manchester. the headlines in just the headlines injust a moment. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with darren bett. we still have a lot of showers out there. thunder in there. the heaviest of showers heading southwards across england and wales and moving out to the continent. showers in the north and west, anyone exposed to the north—westerly breeze. dry and clear in most of the uk. tonight, colder than last night. these are the numbers in towns and cities. knock off a couple of degrees in rural areas. the cold start to saturday. a sunny start and showers from the word go. the odd
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showers from the word go. the odd shower could bubble up on land. fewer showers than we have seen today. most places will be dry with sunshine. the wind is easing as well. 17 celsius to 20 celsius. sunday, cloud and outbreaks of rain. a chilly day. things improved on monday and tuesday as it becomes drier and brighter and a bit warmer. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: scotland‘s former first minister, alex salmond, hits back at the scottish government — after being investigated over claims of sexual harassment. the daughter of a couple who died at a hotel in egypt says they were "fit and healthy" as they went on holiday in a red sea resort. people in hawaii are being moved away from their homes as a hurricane approaches the american pacific islands. ireland prepares to welcome pope francis this weekend —
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nearly a0 years since the the last papal visit to the country. more now on the papal visit to ireland. tens of thousands of people are expected to travel to dublin this weekend to see pope francis — almost a0 years since the last pa pal visit to ireland. his visit comes in the wake of serious abuse scandals in the catholic church. many victims are still very angry. earlier, i spoke to a survivor of clerical sexual abuse. nella mike whenjohn paul clerical sexual abuse. nella mike when john paul ii clerical sexual abuse. nella mike whenjohn paul ii came here, i was 13 years of age, i had been an altar boy. i sang at mass every sunday. i went to their catholic school, attended a youth group in a convent. the church was everywhere in my life, and that was a good thing. but within a year and a half of that visit, i was raped by a catholic priest, who had been ordained for
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months beforejohn priest, who had been ordained for months before john paul priest, who had been ordained for months beforejohn paul ii‘s visit, even though the church knew he was abusing people before that visit. i rememberjohn paul ii saying asela gunaratne is a crowd of 300,000 young people, young people of ireland, —— john paul young people, young people of ireland, ——john paul ii saying, as he looked out across a crowd of 300 young people, young people of ireland, i love you. it is pretty heartbreaking. given all that has come to light over that period, and the fact that you are sadly one of very many people who have had similar experiences, what is the response you will have to do is visit and what are you planning as pope francis comes to dublin? visit and what are you planning as pope francis comes to dublin7m visit and what are you planning as pope francis comes to dublin? it is important to separate out the various elements of the visit. 0n one hand, the spiritual leader of the catholic church is coming to
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ireland, and hundreds of thousands of people will go to manifest their faith and celebrate mass with him, which is to be respected. but you also have an institution that deliberately, wilfully, with absolute intent, covered up the rape and abuse of children, women and vulnerable adults on an industrial scale across this country, notjust in parishes, but in institutions and orphanages run by the catholic church is, —— catholic church, in homes where women were detained simply because of the reproductive itty. pope francis —— reproduction. and it was covered up. which was not an allegation. he continued to deny any responsibility for those crimes but cover—up. they refused to make themselves accountable, and people in ireland will no longer tolerate that kind of deceit. what do you
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think is now the critical change you need to see. some people have said there has been progress, that the vatican has responded, for example, to what we have seen in pennsylvania by condemning criminally wreak —— criminaland by condemning criminally wreak —— criminal and morally reprehensible behaviour. i would ask people to look at that statement this week objectively. are we really saying it is progress when pope francis is finally willing to acknowledge that the activity of a sadomasochistic paedophile ring of priests, and the fa ct paedophile ring of priests, and the fact it was covered up by bishops in that state, that that criminal activity —— that that is criminal activity? is that how low the bar is? all that evidence was evidence subpoenaed from the records of the church, held in archives, available and known to the vatican, so the
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vatican knew all of this was happening. he has inched forward in terms of the strength of language. i don‘t think an acknowledgement that to rape a child is progress, i think it isa to rape a child is progress, i think it is a fact. given that, how hopeful are you that change will come, that truth and accountability will come? not terribly. but francis uses words like accountability and cover—up, but he does not say who is responsible or who needs to be held accountable. we know the vatican directed the cover—up. the vatican is the institution that needs to be accountable, and it needs to subject itself to accountability. and the first step is for the pope to finally tell the damp truth. the time for this seat and lying by omission is over. francis needs to
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make his institutional finally accountable, then something becomes possible. justice becomes possible. if francis was on the side of victims, he would not be coming to ireland, he would be getting on a plane to pennsylvania to kick down the doors of those bishops to fire them, and to instruct church lawyers in pennsylvania not to oppose such measures but to fight tooth and nail to deliver justice for victims. measures but to fight tooth and nail to deliverjustice for victims. he has not, is not and i don‘t think he will. they are not on the side of victims and they continue to refuse to tell the plain truth. australia has sworn in its sixth prime minister in 11 years after malcolm turnbull was forced out by his party rivals. scott morrison — who had been an ally of mr turnbull — won a leadership contest held this morning. no australian pm has served a full three—year term since 2007. 0ur correspondent hywel griffith sent this report from the capital, canberra — and a warning that there are flashing images. meet australia‘s latest
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prime minister, the fifth in just eight years. scott morrison is known as scomo to his friends. allies he will need as he tries to rebuild a governing party which has torn itself to shreds and lost the trust of the australian public. there has been a lot of talk this week about whose side people are on in this building. we are on your side, that‘s what matters. once again, australia has a new prime minister, but scott morrison faces a dual challenge, notjust healing the wounds of his warring party but seeking the forgiveness of the australian public. who watched the events of the last week with exasperation and anger. they won‘t have been impressed with what they‘ve seen. a few days ago scott morrison was standing shoulder to shoulder with his predecessor, malcolm turnbull, pledging loyalty. this is my leader and i am ambitious for him. but bitter feuds within this building over climate change and immigration meant
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malcolm turnbull had lost control, blaming those on the right of his party for wrecking his reign. australians will be just dumbstruck and so appalled by the conduct of the last week. how much good will is there left amongst the voters? many enjoying a drink after work in canberra were pretty unimpressed with their politicians. i am confused. it is one leader one day and then the next day we don't know who it is. we are more disappointed and in a lot of cases quite dismayed and disgusted by the way the politicians have been playing this out. you are now the 30th prime minister of the commonwealth of australia. congratulations. perhaps he should have added "good luck". with an election due in nine months, just staying in power will be difficult. some are already talking about who australia‘s 31st prime minister may be.
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well, we can speak now to alexander downer, who was a former leader of the liberal party, and australia‘s longest serving foreign minister for 10 years. and mr downer was also a high commissioner to the uk. he joins us live via webcam from northumberland. thank you very much for being with us. thank you very much for being with us. our spirits think we know a thing or two mag about parties can‘t get on amongst themselves, but australians seem to have it down to a fine art. —— us british people. this is most unusual. this spate of prime minister is being removed over the last ten years. i think a lot of australians regard it as a bit embarrassing as well. it is not the
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history of australia. in the last quarter of a century. we had three prime ministers until ten years ago. thenin prime ministers until ten years ago. then in the last ten years, we have had this constant change. is it possible to unpick what is a play in the last decade? there seem to be a couple of things. the first is that the politicians themselves become obsessed with opinion polls in what is admittedly a short parliamentary cycle. the australian parliament only lasts for three years, whereas in the uk it is five. naturally enough, they are focused on opinion polls throughout that period then you might be in the uk. but they have become quite obsessed with opinion polls, and if the party sta rts opinion polls, and if the party starts to fall behind in the polls, the party of government in particular, mps start to look to their own futures and wonder whether changing to another leader might be better. it is also important to say
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that there has been a lot of deficient in australia over the issue of climate change. in the uk, it is brexit, while in australia, it is climate change. australia has had their comparative advantage with cheap energy, but it has to make a contribution to c02 reductions and has signed up to the paris agreement. so this means higher electricity prices, and there has been a huge increase in electricity prices to consumers in recent years. so this contradiction has caused a great deal of anxiety, both in the electorate itself, but therefore amongst politicians. and that has led to a lot of argument between the politicians as well. i‘m more concerned about getting prices down —— some more concerned. and some are more concerned about c02 —— some more concerned. and some are more concerned about co2 emissions. what would be your advice to scott morrison as he looks to the weeks ahead, given particularly the very
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slim majority i think his party has overall? i guess they don‘t want another election. to make things there. one, they have an overall majority of one seat. they probably have a bigger working majority than that, but not much bigger. so they don‘t have much of a margin of error. second, they have to have an election with the known around nine months. —— within around nine months. —— within around nine months. he has to reconnect with the base of the liberal party, his party. and infuse the base of the party. and infuse the base of the party first and foremost. 0n party. and infuse the base of the party first and foremost. on top of that, he has to get the australian public taking the government seriously again. it is possible, but in the meantime, the opposition labour party is pounding away at the government and its credibility. it‘s going to be a tough election for scott morrison, or as your reporter
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said, he is known as scomo. you mentioned the three—year terms, contrasting with what we have here — could you see any appetite for changing that? i think it would be very ha rd to changing that? i think it would be very hard to change, because it is written into the australian constitution, which was written in the 1890s. to change the constitution, you have to pass an act of parliament first, then you have to have that confirmed by a referendum. and i don‘t need to tell the british people that a referendum can bea the british people that a referendum can be a pretty tricky thing. you never quite know whether that —— where that is going to end up. to ask the public to vote to have fewer elections and have less of a say in the governments of australia might not be an easy sell. thanks for making time for us this evening. let‘s go back to that
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ferocious storm heading towards hawaii now. well our correspondent james cook, while he was reporting for us there, was himself struck by a falling tree amid massively high winds. he was filing a piece for radio when it happened. the latest forecast suggests that the eye will skirt the big island in around 12 hours before brushing past maui on its way to hawaii. i‘m all right, yeah. i‘m fine. well, that was unexpected. yeah, yeah, i‘m good. i‘m all right. don‘t move it, don‘t move it. it will be easier just to climb out. it has smashed my laptop. he wasn‘t seriously injured though his equipment was smashed, and he‘s been able to carry on reporting. that happened on the island of maui, which is on the path of hurricane lane, and where emergency preparations,
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as we‘ve heard are being made. joining me now from there is chris norberg, who runs a website covering news from the island and is currently sheltering from the hurricane inside his home. thank you for speaking to us at what must be an alarming time, in many ways. yeah, i thinkjames should do all of his correspondence from indoors from now on. describe conditions as they stand where you are now, chris. it is pretty windy. maui is known as more of the windy spots on the planet. it is one of the windy days i‘d seen. —— the more windy days i have seen. we are staying indoors. what advice have you been given? people are clearly being encouraged to stay safe. 1500
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people across the state have been moved to emergency shelters. 500 have been moved to the civic centre, which has moved from the school that was evacuated because of a fire. what warning have you been given? have you been able to prepare as best you can? we were given a couple of days at least. to prepare and get supplies, get everything we need and to secure our supplies, get everything we need and to secure oui’ homes. supplies, get everything we need and to secure our homes. i think a lot of people are staying in their homes. at the same time, people are in flood zones, areas that are prone, they are trying to get them to evacuate. there is a brush fire that started at around 1am, and it has already burned over 300 acres andjumped has already burned over 300 acres and jumped across our main highway, which is closed. lots of homes have
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been evacuated over there. about a000 people are without power. and it is pretty scary for them, because they are dealing with a lot. it is pretty scary for them, because they are dealing with a lotm it is pretty scary for them, because they are dealing with a lot. it is interesting that you talk about fire, because the pictures we are showing here are understandably of rain, wind and a lot of water. is the fire linked to those wins? is that why it is spreading so quickly? i‘m assuming so. it is usually the dryer area. and i assume they are getting some rain over there. probably not as bad as we are getting it over here. i am on the north side right now. it is hard to reach anyone over there. power has been out for most people. finally, it‘s not an area of the world where hurricanes are that common. how well
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do you think people have got on with responding to this, and how well are they coping? it is hurricane season, and we do see them more recently than before. usually, it stays further south and tracks west. 0ccasionally, they come up north. the scary thing is that a lot of people on maui have had so many close calls in the last couple of yea rs, close calls in the last couple of years, that i‘m afraid it is one of those crying world situations. i hope people are taking this seriously, staying indoors and preparing for this. because right now, it‘s moving at only two miles per hour, which is really slow. and it still has category 2. it is going at 105 mph inside, with sustained wind. it could cause a lot of damage. 0n the big island, it has caused massive flooding. certainly not to be underestimated, as you
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say. chris, stay safe. good of you to speak to us. they‘re arguably one of wales‘s most extraordinary and important birds — but also amongst the least understood. skomer island off the pembrokeshire coast is home to half the world‘s population of manx shearwater — and for the first time in ten years researchers there have carried out a full census. they claim the species is a key indicator of the health of our seas as our correspondent steffan messenger has been finding out. a sea bird census on skomer island. they are listening out for manx shearwater, which spend the summer here raising their chicks in underground burrows. this year we have done the whole island. it took pretty much a month with a dedicated team of volunteers helping us. it is not the only field work that is happening here focused on this elusive species, which spends most of its life out at sea.
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gps tags, microchips and small cameras have also been deployed to try and understand more about its behaviour. it is amazing how little we still know, and especially about what they are getting up to at sea. every day we weigh 100 of these chicks and we do that from the moment they hatch to the last day we see them, which is when we assume they have fledged. so fluffy. they are amazing. around two weeks before they actually fledge, their parents will abandon them all together and then they will take off without their parents, having never left the burrow before, except these guys, and fly off to argentina. the island‘s warden believes studying the manx shearwater can tell us a lot about the state of our marine environment. 0n skomer island there are over 300,000 pairs. they are indicators of the health of the oceans, so if the chicks are all underweight because their parents can't find enough food around here, it is a really good indicator there is something wrong with our seas. this island is home to the largest concentration of manx shearwater
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anywhere in the world but visit during the day and you are very unlikely to see one. the chicks are underground in their burrows and the adult birds, the mums and dads, far out at sea fishing for food. so to get the full shearwater experience, you‘ve got to wait for the sun to set and for it to get dark. later on, using a special night—vision camera, we watch the spectacle unfold. in a few weeks‘ time, these birds will leave wales once again on this 6,000 mile migration. by then, the researchers should have a better idea about the size and health of the population here, shedding new light on skomer‘s significance for the species as a whole. the chinese president on his visit to the uk three years agowas filmed eating fish and chips with the then
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prime minster, david cameron in a restaurant near york. since then the chippy has won a legion of fans from the far east. so much so that the menu has had to be translated into mandarin for the coachloads of tourists from china. phil chapman takes up the story. 0ther fast food outlets are available, but for many chinese visitors here on the edge of york, fish and chips are a must have delicacy when touring the north of england, and it seems to be at least partly down to david cameron. we know the story with the president having fish and chips in 2015. it was offered by david cameron. so what they do now, they like to come and have fish and chips, like traditionalfor and have fish and chips, like traditional for them. and have fish and chips, like traditionalfor them. i know thank you, which i always do when they are coming in. and goodbye. we're here now. can we put the fish in, 25,
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please? they have gone to the trouble of creating menus in mandarin and cantonese. trouble of creating menus in mandarin and cantoneselj trouble of creating menus in mandarin and cantonese. i love this fish and chips. it is very delicious. i never ate it in china. for the chinese, we have fish steamed, not deep—fried. it is a different thing altogether. steamed, not deep—fried. it is a different thing altogetherlj steamed, not deep—fried. it is a different thing altogether. i think it is mouthwatering. different thing altogether. i think it is mouthwateringlj different thing altogether. i think it is mouthwatering. i only eat chicken in china. i really like the fish here. i have finished. chinese tourists are among the biggest spenders in the world. recognising this, this york resident has been building the city‘s profile in china. fish and chips has become very popular in china. every tour operator want to send a group to the uk and would put the fish experience
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of fish and chips. it is an important part of the itinerary. there is no age limit on it, so it especially to the chinese tourist. it doesn‘t matter if they like it or not, they will definitely try fish and chips, especially in the uk. it‘s home to the world‘s largest indoor rainforest and its shiny domes have attracted millions of tourists to cornwall. but could a second eden project be on its way to lancashire‘s seaside resort, morecambe? 0ur correspondentjohn maguire has been finding out. morecambe is rightly proud of its past. these pictures, almost 120 years old, showjust how popular the seaside town once was. and with an eye on that history, its annual vintage by the sea festival, which takes place next weekend, brings in
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around a0,000 visitors. but now it‘s this space—age vision that could propel morecambe into the future. this is the eden project in cornwall, a major visitor attraction, and now there are plans for one here. so the eden project could see this area totally transformed. absolutely, depending on final plans... this whole project will be a total enabler for the district, not just the town actually, because it‘s not only going to be an economic one, it‘s going to be social, environmental and also educational, because with the involvement of lancaster university, being one of the top ten universities in the country, they‘re putting all their might behind us, and also their research, i believe this is going to be quite an educational facility as well. so it could see more come completely transform? it won't only be an economic plan but a social one, environmental and educational. with the involvement of lancaster university, one of the top ten in the country, they are putting their mind behind it. i believe this is going to be quite an educational facility as well. for local businesses, eden would represent a highly prestigious and, crucially, year—round draw. morecambe‘s been quite
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innovative over the years. morecambe invented bingo, so this is the new bingo if you will. it‘s really going to put us not just on the national but the international map. the eden project says its feasibility study indicates morecambe is a viable location, and now the task begins to raise the many millions needed to create it. and, if it is built, it will bring notjust sunshine, but millions and millions of new visitors to morecambe bay. morecambe invented bingo — who knew? now it‘s time for a look at the weather with darren bett. this bank holiday weekend won‘t be as warm as the previous two, in fa ct, as warm as the previous two, in fact, it will be rather cool. still some sunshine around on saturday and
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on monday, but in between, cloud and outbreaks of rain. there have been heavy bursts of rain today. this cool heavy bursts of rain today. this cool, showery north—westerly airstream pushing down across the whole of the country, some hail and thunder to boot. heavy showers are running south across england and wales. the worst are moving out into the near continent. a few showers coming in around northern and western coast, filtering through the cheshire gap perhaps with that north—westerly breeze. 0therwise, dry, clearing skies, and a cold night in laurel areas, four, five celsius into the hills and scottish glens may be freezing. pressure building slowly from the west. fewer showers on saturday. most of the showers on saturday. most of the showers will be across north—eastern scotla nd showers will be across north—eastern scotland and across north sea coasts. 0therwise, one or two shells could develop as cloud bubbles up. 0n the whole, a dry day and a bit more sunshine around. quite cool
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air, so temperature is not far off what we had today, may be getting 20 celsius in london, 17 celsius in central scotland. the ridge of high pressure doesn‘t last long. this weather system is sweeping in from the atlantic in time for sunday. cloud around on sunday, and already, outbreaks of rain for northern and western areas. it will push east through pretty much the whole of the uk. wettest across south wales and the south—west of england, and here it will be particularly windy. really not a good day on sunday. those temperatures depressed by cloud and outbreaks of rain. some improvements later across northern ireland and perhaps west wales. that is because the weather system is moving to the east. 0n is because the weather system is moving to the east. on monday, a bank holiday for most, of course, we will be between two weather systems. there will be sunshine around, a few showers, particularly across the northern half of the uk. most places will be dry on monday, and temperatures would be quite so low.
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there is an upward trend on monday and into tuesday. temperatures could be as high as the low 20s. the this is bbc news. i‘m rachel schofield. the headlines at eight. scotland‘s former first minister, alex salmond, hits back at the scottish government — after being investigated over claims of sexual harassment. mr salmond said the process of investigation was unfairand unjust — he was no saint, he said, but had done nothing wrong. i‘ve made many mistakes in my life — political and personal. but i‘ve not sexually harassed anyone and i certainly have not been engaged in criminality. but scotland‘s first minister said the claims of sexual harrassment could not be ignored. it's a difficult situation, but what is important is that complaints are treated seriously regardless of who the person complained about is. the daughter of a couple who died at a hotel in egypt says they were "fit and healthy"
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when they went on holiday.
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